Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
RFC 1157 - 2. Introduction

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### 2. Introduction

As reported in RFC 1052, IAB Recommendations for the Development of Internet Network Management Standards [1], a two-prong strategy for network management of TCP/IP-based internets was undertaken. In the short-term, the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) was to be used to manage nodes in the Internet community. In the long-term, the use of the OSI network management framework was to be examined. Two documents were produced to define the management information: RFC 1065, which defined the Structure of Management Information (SMI) [2], and RFC 1066, which defined the Management Information Base (MIB) [3]. Both of these documents were designed so as to be compatible with both the SNMP and the OSI network management framework.

This strategy was quite successful in the short-term: Internet-based network management technology was fielded, by both the research and commercial communities, within a few months. As a result of this, portions of the Internet community became network manageable in a timely fashion.

As reported in RFC 1109, Report of the Second Ad Hoc Network Management Review Group [4], the requirements of the SNMP and the OSI network management frameworks were more different than anticipated. As such, the requirement for compatibility between the SMI/MIB and both frameworks was suspended. This action permitted the operational network management framework, the SNMP, to respond to new operational needs in the Internet community by producing documents defining new MIB items.

The IAB has designated the SNMP, SMI, and the initial Internet MIB to be full "Standard Protocols" with "Recommended" status. By this action, the IAB recommends that all IP and TCP implementations be network manageable and that the implementations that are network manageable are expected to adopt and implement the SMI, MIB, and SNMP.

As such, the current network management framework for TCP/IP- based internets consists of: Structure and Identification of Management Information for TCP/IP-based Internets, which describes how managed objects contained in the MIB are defined as set forth in RFC 1155 [5]; Management Information Base for Network Management of TCP/IP- based Internets, which describes the managed objects contained in the MIB as set forth in RFC 1156 [6]; and, the Simple Network Management Protocol, which defines the protocol used to manage these objects, as set forth in this memo.

As reported in RFC 1052, IAB Recommendations for the Development of Internet Network Management Standards [1], the Internet Activities Board has directed the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to create two new working groups in the area of network management. One group was charged with the further specification and definition of elements to be included in the Management Information Base (MIB). The other was charged with defining the modifications to the Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) to accommodate the short-term needs of the network vendor and operations communities, and to align with the output of the MIB working group.

The MIB working group produced two memos, one which defines a Structure for Management Information (SMI) [2] for use by the managed objects contained in the MIB. A second memo [3] defines the list of managed objects.

The output of the SNMP Extensions working group is this memo, which incorporates changes to the initial SNMP definition [7] required to attain alignment with the output of the MIB working group. The changes should be minimal in order to be consistent with the IAB's directive that the working groups be "extremely sensitive to the need to keep the SNMP simple." Although considerable care and debate has gone into the changes to the SNMP which are reflected in this memo, the resulting protocol is not backwardly-compatible with its predecessor, the Simple Gateway Monitoring Protocol (SGMP) [8]. Although the syntax of the protocol has been altered, the original philosophy, design decisions, and architecture remain intact. In order to avoid confusion, new UDP ports have been allocated for use by the protocol described in this memo.

Next: 3. The SNMP Architecture

Connected: An Internet Encyclopedia
RFC 1157 - 2. Introduction